"I didn't handle this one well. I popped. Reality TV at its best," Cashman said.

Cashman went on to say that Rodriguez and owner Hal Steinbrenner had a "nice" conversation Wednesday in Tampa in which Rodriguez "got the message."

"The tweet created some issues and I obviously added to those issues," Cashman said.

The Yankees later said that Rodriguez spoke separately with Cashman and team president Randy Levine on Wednesday afternoon.

Cashman's outburst included him telling Rodriguez through the media to "shut the (expletive) up. That's it. I'm going to go call Alex now."

Rodriguez responded Wednesday morning, saying, "I will continue to work hard until my efforts get me back in pinstripes and help my team win. The tweet was pure excitement about Dr. (Bryan) Kelly's prognosis."

The Yankees sit 2 1/2 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League East and are tied with the Baltimore Orioles for the spot. Each team in the division is above .500.